The Princess of Wales’s annual Together at Christmas Carol Service will return to Westminster Abbey for a fifth year in a row.
Kate, 43, today announced the service will be held on Friday December 5, with 1,600 guests invited to watch the choir alongside celebrity readings from Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Attendees will also enjoy special musical performances from Hannah Waddingham and Dan Smith from Bastille, which will be filmed for broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve.
The future Queen hosted her first carol service in 2021. Last year the concert marked her return to public duties following her cancer diagnosis.
Viewers will also be able to watch a repeat showing of the carol service on the morning of Christmas Day.
Kensington Palace said the event will ‘bring people together to celebrate love in all its forms – whether it’s love within families, through friendships, across communities, or even through powerful moments of connection with strangers’.
‘In a world that can often feel fragmented and disconnected, love is the force that reconnects us all – spanning generations, communities, cultures, and faiths,’ the Palace continued.
The Princess of Wales, 43, will host her annual Together at Christmas Carol Service at Westminster Abbey for the fifth year running
‘As we approach the Christmas season, we are reminded of the power of togetherness.
‘The evening will highlight the transformative power of investing in one another with compassion, presence, and joy.’
Through this year’s carol service, the Princess wishes to recognise and thank people who are ‘contributing to a more cohesive and connected society’ through acts of love around the country.
Guests who will attend the service have been nominated by Lord-Lieutenants and charities associated with Members of the Royal Family.
The audience will comprise of people who have dedicated or volunteered their time to others, started community-led initiatives, or shown kindness and empathy to those around them.
They will be joined by members of the Royal Family, as well as a number of famous faces who have championed ‘compassion and togetherness’ through their own works.
In addition to songs by Westminster Abbey choir and celebrity appearances, the service will also be a platform for some notable guests to share their stories.
But before guests even step foot inside the Abbey, they will be entertained with music by young performers from Future Talent, the charity co-founded by the late Duchess of Kent to support children from low-income backgrounds.
Last year’s Together at Christmas event marked Kate Middleton’s return to public duties after her cancer diagnosis and treatment earlier in the year
The Prince and Princess of Wales, alongside their three children, Prince George (third from left), Prince Louis (middle) and Princess Charlotte (third from right) will likely all be in attendance at this year’s Christmas carol service
The entrance to the Abbey will be decorated by horticulturalist Jamie Butterworth, who has been tasked with creating a ‘natural, festive environment’ that aims to ‘highlight the importance of nature’.
The Abbey itself will be adorned inside with wreaths donated by the Royal Horticultural Society, which have been made in partnership with their Ambassadors and schoolchildren.
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In addition to the main service, 15 Together at Christmas community carol services will also take place around the country, hosted by Lord-Lieutenants and supported by The Royal Foundation.
These smaller services will be held in places such as the Coronation Street Visitor Centre, an arts centre in Newbury and a community farm in Gwent.
Last year, the Princess wrote a poignant letter to guests attending her Christmas carol concert for the first time as she reflected on a challenging year.
Following her treatment for cancer, Kate wrote movingly of how the Christmas story ‘reflects our own vulnerabilities’ and urged everyone to live with ‘an open heart’ and to be there for others with ‘gentle words or a receptive ear, an arm around an exhausted shoulder, or silently being by someone’s side’.
The service is usually attended by both working and non-working royals, including Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Charles and Camilla have also previously attended the concert, but were absent from the event last year. At the time, the Queen was recovering from a bout of pneumonia.
